The Supreme Court cleared the Trump administration to resume Big Bend border-wall construction in West Texas, lifting a lower-court halt while environmental litigation continues.
In an 8-1 unsigned decision, the justices granted emergency relief from U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardones preliminary injunction, which had blocked barriers, patrol roads, and related infrastructure in the Big Bend sector after the Center for Biological Diversity sued in April. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson alone said she would have denied the Justice Departments request.
The Court wrote that the injunction impedes the Government from advancing its compelling interests in border security and integrity. Challengers claim that construction in the Big Bend Sector will diminish their ability to use and enjoy the area, the justices noted, while stressing Congresss preference for expeditious border construction under immigration statutes that allow environmental waivers.
Cardone, a George W. Bush appointee, had stopped bulldozing and road-clearing while the suit proceeded. With the injunction lifted, contractors can restart work across the remote stretch covering Big Bend National Park and more than 500 miles of sector border even as the underlying case moves forward.
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